Version 4.4 has been out for a while now, and I'm sure plenty of you can relate — still going back and forth on whether to pull for Himeko • Nova in Phase 1, when all of a sudden the Phase 2 rerun lineup drops out of nowhere: Cerydra, Anaxa, and Aventurine, three familiar faces returning as a trio.

At first glance, the lineup looks pretty impressive, but when you actually dig into the kits and the current patch meta, the cost-effectiveness of this banner is actually quite nuanced. Let's cut to the chase: unless you're a diehard fan or happen to be missing a specific piece of the puzzle, skipping this one is a high-priority call.

Of course, if you're dead set on pulling, be sure to check out COCODP beforehand — they occasionally have surprise discounts, and Stellar Jade delivery is fast. Wouldn't you rather spend the money you save on a nice cup of milk tea?

Let's start with Cerydra. Ever since her release, she's been tagged as exclusive support for Phainon teams — her mechanics and tuning are basically designed entirely around enabling Phainon. If Phainon is your main carry, she genuinely delivers improvements in both gameplay feel and damage output, making her a classic "strengthen the strong, not the weak" kind of unit. But if you never pulled for Phainon in the first place, Cerydra's value drops off a cliff — she'll most likely just collect dust on your bench. There's really no point in whaling hard for a niche puzzle piece.

My personal take: she feels like a final exam the devs prepared for Phainon mains. Whether you take it or not is up to you, but don't expect her to carry an entirely different team on her back.

Moving on to Anaxa. The Erudition Path already feels somewhat out of place in today's multi-elite, multi-wave meta, and Anaxa's own numbers and kit don't quite reach must-pull status either — leaving him stuck in that gray zone of "usable but not necessary" for quite a while now.

Honestly, I pulled him purely because a few lines from his story really resonated with me — total love-pull move. If you're not the type to pull for personal taste, I genuinely recommend holding off — save your Stellar Jade for Phase 2 of the Fate/stay night collab. It'll definitely be a way better experience than forcing pulls on a niche character.

Last but not least, Aventurine — Imaginary Preservation, a sustain unit. The sustain slot is insanely competitive these days, with Fu Xuan, Huohuo, and Gallagher each bringing their own strengths to the table. Aventurine's advantages lie in his automatic shielding and his synergy in follow-up attack teams, but in the 4.4 meta, survival pressure is far from a team's top pain point anymore. Personally, ever since I pulled Aventurine, he's barely seen any playtime outside of a few high-pressure Simulated Universe runs.

Unless you're so short on sustain that you're even fielding March 7th, you can absolutely skip this Aventurine rerun — don't be intimidated by the "limited-time Preservation" label. Practicality is what really counts.

At the end of the day, this rerun is better suited for veteran players with specific targets in mind, or diehard fans who don't care about meta strength. If you're still on the fence, why not wait for the next version's preview livestream? After all, Stellar Jade doesn't lose value when you save it — it's reckless spending that leaves you regretting it.

Oh, and if you end up deciding to pull after all, make sure you plan your resources properly. I usually hop on Poppo Live before pulling to catch some streams and chat with HSR streamers about team comp ideas — sometimes a single tip from someone can save you a whole ten-pull. Of course, you should also pick a reliable top-up service. A stable one like COCODP is always better than scrambling at the last minute.

All in all, meta chasers should think carefully about this banner, diehard fans can pull freely — plan wisely, game happily.